Tag: Tokyo

On August 17, 2019, the fourth and final day of Basketball without Borders Asia 2019 in Tokyo, Japan concluded in thrilling fashion as the 64 campers from 18 countries and territories in Asia-Pacific competed in playoffs and championship games, a 3-point contest, and a pair of All-Star games, which featured Batang Gilas forward Joshua Rafael Lazaro, Jr. NBA Philippines All-Stars Harold Alarcon and Florence Jil Talas.

In the morning, the camp got underway with playoffs games to determine the championship games matchup. On the girls side, the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks faced off in the championship game, with the Liberty (coached by former WNBA player Ashley Battle) coming away with a 33–18 win.

The boys championship game then followed, with the Orlando Magic, coached on the sidelines by current NBA assistant coach Pat Delany, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 22–16.

Upon the conclusion of the championship games, the boys and girls competed in the 3-point competition finals. Mustafa Rashed from Bahrain was crowned the boys 3-point champion, while Japan’s Miyu Ogita came out on top on the girls side.

Finally, the two boys and two girls All-Star teams were announced. The West All-Stars pulled out a win for the girls (29–23), while the East All-Stars emerged victorious on the boys side with a 42–37 win that saw Alarcon emerge as the Boys All-Star Game MVP.

The 11th BWB Asia camp wrapped up with the awards ceremony. Junseok Yeo (South Korea) was named Boys MVP, while Georgia Woolley from Australia was crowned as MVP on the girls side. The following is a complete list of All-Star rosters and awards winners:

The Philippines and Japan were among the 19 countries represented at “ONE: A New Era” at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on March 31, 2019. It was the first ever ONE Championship event to take place in the country.

“ONE: A New Era” featured 11 mixed martial arts bouts and four ONE Super Series matches, which include two kickboxing contests and two Muay Thai contests. In the main event, Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki, 35, of Japan challenged reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, 35, of the Philippines in a rematch.

Aoki was one of the six fighters from Japan on the “ONE: A New Era” card. Folayang was one of the three fighters from the Philippines.

Blue Corner

Aoki is training out of Evolve MMA. “ONE: A New Era” marked his 12th ONE Championship bout.

Red Corner

Folayang is training out of Team Lakay in Baguio City, Philippines. “ONE: A New Era” marked her 16th ONE Championship bout.

Fight Result

Olivier Coste served as the referee of the rematch between Folayang and Aoki. The three judges were Jonathan Lai and Ian Cartwright, both from Canada, and Joey Lepiten from the Philippines.

Coste put a stop to the contest after 2 minutes and 34 seconds in the first round. Aoki submitted Folayang via arm triangle.

Winning at “ONE: A New Era” improved Aoki’s professional MMA record to 43 wins and 8 losses. On the other hand, Folayang now has 21 wins and 7 losses.

“ONE: A New Era” Co-Main Events

In the first co-main event, Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes, 39, of Brazil became the new ONE Bantamweight World Champion. Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, 31, of the Philippines was dethroned after his disqualification in the second round due to illegal elbow strikes.

In the second co-main event, Ken Hasegawa, 32, of Japan challenged “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang, 33, of Myanmar in a rematch. The Burmese champion successfully defended his ONE Middleweight World Championship belt.

In the third co-main event, reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “The Unstoppable” Angela Lee, 22, of Singapore failed to dethrone reigning “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan, 31, of China. It was the Singaporean contender’s first loss.

Australia, Cyprus, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Russia, South Korea, Thailand and the United States were also represented at “ONE: A New Era.” Check all the official results on Conan Daily.

China and Singapore were among the 19 countries represented at “ONE: A New Era” at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on March 31, 2019. It was the first ever ONE Championship event to take place in the country.

“ONE: A New Era” featured 11 mixed martial arts bouts and four ONE Super Series matches, which include two kickboxing contests and two Muay Thai contests. Prior to the main event, there were three co-main events, which were all title bouts.

In the third co-main event, reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “The Unstoppable” Angela Lee, 22, of Singapore challenged reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan, 31, of China at “ONE: A New Era.” It was the first time two female champions are pitted against each other inside the ONE Championship cage.

Xiong was the only fighter from China on the “ONE: A New Era” card. Lee solely represented Singapore, as well.

Blue Corner

Lee is training out of Evolve MMA and United MMA. “ONE: A New Era” marked her 10th ONE Championship bout.

Red Corner

Xiong is training out of and Bali MMA in Bali, Indonesia. “ONE: A New Era” marked her fifth ONE Championship bout.

Fight Result

The ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship bout between Xiong and Lee was the 14th bout of the evening. Kemp Cheng served as the referee.

Cheng put a stop to the contest after 1 minute and 37 seconds. Xiong knocked out Lee making the Chinese champion the first ever fighter to defeat the Singaporean MMA star in a professional MMA bout.

Winning at “ONE: A New Era” improved the professional MMA record of Xiong to 14 wins and 1 loss. On the other hand, Lee now has 9 wins and 1 loss.

“ONE: A New Era” Main Event

In the main event, Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki, 35, of Japan challenged reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, 35, of the Philippines in a rematch.

[RESULT TO BE ADDED HERE]

Australia, Brazil, Cyprus, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Thailand and the United States were also represented at “ONE: A New Era.” Check all the official results on Conan Daily.

Indonesia and the United States were among the 19 countries represented at “ONE: A New Era” at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on March 31, 2019. It was the first ever ONE Championship event to take place in the country.

“ONE: A New Era” featured 11 mixed martial arts bouts and four ONE Super Series matches, which include two kickboxing contests and two Muay Thai contests. In the third bout of the evening, Anthony “The Archangel” Engelen, 33, of Indonesia faced Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon, 27, of the United States.

Tonon was one of the three fighters from the U.S. on the “ONE: A New Era” card. Engelen solely represented Indonesia.

Blue Corner

Training out of Indogym in Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta, Indonesia, Engelen is a former Indonesia Fighting Championships Lightweight Champion. He was born in Ermelo, Gelderland, Netherlands to his Indonesian father Roland Engelen and Dutch mother Inky Engelen.

In Anthony’s previous ONE Championship bouts, he represented both Indonesia and the Netherlands. He represented only Indonesia at “ONE: A New Era,” which marked his ninth outing in the promotion.

Red Corner

Born in Lacey Township, New Jersey, USA, Tonon is training out of Team Renzo Gracie and Evolve MMA. He competed in wrestling in grade school and went on to become a multiple-time No Gi BJJ World Champion.

“ONE: A New Era” marked Tonon’s fifth ONE Championship bout and fourth professional MMA bout. When he made his promotional debut at “ONE Dynasty of Heroes” at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore on May 26, 2017, he defeated Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki, 35, of Japan in a grappling bout.

Fight Result

Engelen and Tonon competed in an MMA match in the featherweight division. Yoshinori Umeki served as the referee.

Umeki put a stop to the featherweight contest after 4 minutes and 12 seconds in the first round when Tonon knocked out Engelen. It was the first technical knockout of the evening.

Winning at “ONE: A New Era” makes Tonon still an undefeated MMA fighter and now holds a professional MMA record of 4 wins and 0 loss. On the other hand, Engelen now has 8 wins and 6 losses.

“ONE: A New Era” Main Event

In the main event, Aoki challenged reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, 35, of the Philippines in a rematch.

[RESULT TO BE ADDED HERE]

Australia, Brazil, China, Cyprus, France, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand were also represented at “ONE: A New Era.” Check all the official results on Conan Daily.

Reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, 31, of the Philippines is all geared up to defend his title at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on March 31, 2019 against rival Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes, 38, of Brazil. The highly anticipated trilogy bout is one of three co-main events at “ONE: A New Era.”

“I’m going for the finish. This time, when I see the opening, I’m going to take it,” Belingon stated. “I’m going to be aggressive and strong. With my Team Lakay brothers at cageside, I will have the strength and power to defeat him.”

Belingon’s title defense was the last announcement to be made for the card among the Team Lakay World Champions. Although he had been enjoying the beginning of the year, he was doing some light training just in case he got the call to defend his belt in Tokyo.

“I started 2019 enjoying the company of my family and friends,” Belingon said. “I wasn’t worried at all that I didn’t have a schedule to defend my title yet. I was in light training just in case. You never know when the call could come, and it was best to be prepared.”

Belingon had a gut feeling he would be getting the call soon so when the news broke, he was not surprised at all. A feeling of excitement came over him because he would get to join his Team Lakay brothers Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, 34, and Danny “The King” Kingad, 23, on the card.

“I had a feeling I would be defending my title against Bibiano again,” Belingon said. “It was inevitable given how close the last bout was. I don’t mind. I’m excited and willing to prove myself once again.”

Belingon and Fernandes first met back in January 2016 where the Team Lakay stalwart tapped to a kimura in the first round. In 2018, they met for a second time. Ready for his Brazilian opponent’s grappling, the Filipino fighter outperformed the defending champion to win via razor-thin split decision.

It is a feat Belingon wishes to repeat at “ONE: A New Era.” For him it is going to be the toughest bout of his career.

“I have prepared well for him again,” Belingon said. “I think I know him very well now. It’s going to be a tough fight.”

If Belingon can pull off another incredible performance, a victory would effectively and finally put Fernandes in his rear view mirror. The reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion cannot wait to put on a show for the fans in Tokyo and to lay it all out inside the cage.

On March 31, 2019 from Tokyo Japan, ONE Championship will put on the greatest show in its promotion’s history, and arguably the best of the year in mixed martial arts.

“ONE: A New Era” will feature three co-main events, four World Title bouts, and two epic promotional debuts. If that wasn’t enough, the show also features a fantasy-like kickboxing bout (Andy Souwer vs Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex), along with a match featuring perhaps the greatest female mixed martial artist in Japanese history in Mei Yamaguchi.

Here is a look at the entire card with a word on the top bouts and why you should watch.

ONE: A NEW ERA

Sunday, 31 March

Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan

Main Event

ONE Lightweight World Championship

Eduard Folayang (C) vs Shinya Aoki

Mixed Martial Arts: 77.1kg

Rematch will be the word of the day in Japan. There are three of them and none bigger than the battle for the ONE Lightweight World Title.

Reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang owns a stoppage win over Shinya Aoki from their first meeting back in November 2016. At the time, Aoki was champion and he looked unbeatable as he mowed down every opponent he faced in the lightweight division. The resilient and conditioned Folayang wouldn’t be denied and his constant pressure led to the TKO victory and his first title reign.

Folayang has since lost the title and regained it while Aoki battled through the toughest patch of his glorious career to ascend back to the mountaintop. Now he will challenge for the World Title against the man who dethroned him, and Aoki will do it in front of his adoring countrymen in Japan. It would be hard for any bout on the card to follow this one, so it’s good it is the main event.

Co-Main Event

ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship

Xiong Jing Nan (C) vs Angela Lee

Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg

You know the main event has to be special if a champion-vs-champion superfight is the co-main event. ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee will put her undefeated professional record on the line as she climbs up to strawweight to challenge Xiong Jing Nan for her ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title.

Lee has battled past Japanese legend Mei Yamaguchi on two occasions but this battle with the powerful Xiong will be the biggest challenge of Unstoppable’s short, but impressive career thus far.

Ever since Xiong arrived in ONE, she’s done nothing but dominate her opponents. She too will be facing her toughest test. Which world-class martial artist will emerge victoriously?

Co-Main Event

ONE Middleweight World Championship

Aung La N Sang (C) vs Ken Hasegawa

Mixed Martial Arts: 93.0kg

As mentioned earlier, rematches are aplenty on this card.

In 2018, ONE Middleweight World Champion Aung La N Sang and Japan’s Ken Hasegawa battled in the Bout of the Year.

Aung La successfully defended his World title after securing a fifth-round KO, but Hasegawa represented himself well. Now Hasegawa will get a rematch with the “Burmese Python”, but this time, the scrap takes place in the challenger’s home country.

Can Aung La duplicate his performance, or has Hasegawa found some answers, and is he capable of using his fans’ energy to supplant Aung La as champion?

This figures to be another brawl and it could steal the show.

Co-Main Event

ONE Bantamweight World Championship

Kevin Belingon (C) vs Bibiano Fernandes

Mixed Martial Arts: 65.8kg

Yet another rematch comes our way here, and this one is the third bout in the series between reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin Belingon and Bibiano Fernandes.

In 2018, Belingon avenged a submission loss to Fernandes in their first meeting. Belingon took the bout by a narrow decision, and because of Fernandes’ long-standing reign as bantamweight king, he was awarded an immediate rematch.

With Belingon’s margin of victory far smaller than what Fernandes enjoyed in their bout, there is something for the Filipino warrior to prove. Brazil’s Fernandes wants nothing more than to win his title back, and both men want to win the series. On most cards, this would be the main event. On March 31, 2019, it will be the first co-main event.

ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix (Quarter-Final)

Demetrious Johnson vs Yuya Wakamatsu

Mixed Martial Arts: 61.2kg

The debut of legendary 12-time Flyweight Mixed Martial Arts World Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will be the last non-title bout on the card. He faces local hero Yuya Wakamatsu in his promotional debut and it will be one of the more highly-anticipated first looks in mixed martial arts history.

Johnson is still widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artists in the world, and he’ll be looking to show that against Wakamatsu.

ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix (Quarter-Final)

Eddie Alvarez vs Timofey Nastyukhin

Mixed Martial Arts: 77.1kg

“The Underground King” Eddie Alvarez is in the same situation as Johnson. He’s a former multiple-time Mixed Martial Arts World Champion making his ONE Championship debut and looking to make a statement.

Alvarez faces Russia’s Timofey Nastyukhin in the first round of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. He is expected to challenge for ONE’s gold at some point, and perhaps become the first man to win a world title in the three major global mixed martial arts promotions.

Nastyukhin represents Alvarez’s first impediment, as he had constantly asked for the toughest most dangerous opponent available. Nastyukhin certainly fits that bill. Expect a tremendous war of attrition in this exciting lightweight matchup.

For the first time, ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee, 22, of Singapore will face a fellow world champion. She is ready to get the win and if she is successful, she will become ONE Championship’s first ever female mixed martial artist to simultaneously hold two world championship belts in different divisions.

Lee will challenge reigning ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan, 31, of China at “ONE: A New Era” on March 31, 2019 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. It is the first ever ONE Championship event to take place in the country.

“She’s an aggressive, forward-pressure, volume striker,” Lee said of Xiong. “I think she’s been able to get the better of a lot of the opponents she’s faced in the past and dictate where the fight goes with her pressure. With me, she’s not going to be able to do that.”

“ONE: A New Era” marks Lee’s 10th ONE Championship bout. She said, “I’m not just going to put my back to the cage and I’m not going to let her dictate where the fight goes.”

Currently, Lee holds a professionally MMA record of 9 wins and 0 loss. For her, being a challenger in a championship bout while reigning as a champion in a different division is “a huge once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that not many people get.”

“To already be the World Champion in my division and step up to possibly become a two-division World Champion, that would be a huge goal of mine,” Lee said. “This is going to be the fight of my life, and I’m going to put on my best performance.”

The most recent bout of Lee was on May 18, 2018 at “ONE: Unstoppable Dreams” at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore where she had her rematch with Mei “V.V.” Yamaguchi, 36, of Japan. The Singaporean defending champion defeated her Japanese challenger via unanimous decision.

“I think that’s going to be the main difference now that we’ve had more time to really work more in every single area and get it all really tight,” Lee declared. “You’re going to see it all come together on the night of the fight.”

Also signed with ONE Championship, Christian “The Warrior” Lee, 20, of Singapore and Bruno “Puccibull” Pucci, 28, of Brazil are Angela’s brother and husband, respectively. Here is the reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion in a recent open workout in Tokyo: